3 Qatari diplomats killed in car crash on way to Sharm el-Sheikh

Egyptian resort city of Sharm el Sheikh. Photo collected

CAIRO (AP) — Three Qatari diplomats were killed in a car crash Saturday while heading to Egypt’s Red Sea resort of Sharm el-Sheikh, health officials said.

Two other diplomats were injured when their vehicle overturned about 50 kilometers (31 miles) from Sharm el-Sheikh, the officials said.

The diplomats, who were from the Qatari protocol team, were traveling to the city ahead of a high-level summit celebrating a ceasefire in the war between Israel and Hamas in Gaza, the officials said. The officials spoke on condition of anonymity because they were not authorized to brief media.

Qatar mediated the ceasefire along with Egypt and the U.S. Turkey also joined the negotiations earlier this month in Sharm el-Sheikh, which was capped by a ceasefire and the release of hostages and hundreds of Palestinian prisoners.

Sharm el-Sheikh will host the summit to be co-chaired by President Abdel-Fattah el-Sissi of Egypt and U.S. President Donald Trump, according to a statement from the Egyptian presidency.

The statement said more than two dozen world leaders, including French President Emmanuel Macron, Spanish Prime Minister Pedro Sánchez and United Nations Secretary General António Guterres will attend the summit.